The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-01-28
HAULING IN THE NET.
A Memorable Day at the Brook
lynn Tabernacle.


hundred new mem bers were received at the
Brooklyn Tabernacle to-day. In COM
memoration of this event, DR.. Talmage
preached the following sermon. choosing
for his te-t the eighth verse of the six
tieth chapter of Isaiah: "Who are these
that fly as cloud. and as the doves to
their windowsf" He said:
When God would set fast a beautiful
thought. he plants it in a tree; when He
would put it af1oat, He fashions il into a
fish: when He would have it glide through
the air, he molds it into bird. There is
TO many Of Us a complete fascination in
the structure aud habits of birds-the
blackbird- floating like fake of darkness
through the sunlight the meadow lark,
with head Of fawn ald throat of velvet,
end breast OF gold: the red farning0,
flying over the Southern swannps, Ike
sparks from the forge OF the setting sun:
the pelham white and black. morning and
night. tangled IN its wIngs-they seem not
more of earth than heaven, ever vaciilat-
Ing between the two.
No wonder that Audubon. with his gun,
tramped through ali the American forests
in search of new specimens. Biologists
have spent years il finding the track
OF birds claws in the new rel sandstone.
There is enough OF Gods architecture in a
the universities Musicians have. with
clefs and bars. tried to catch the sound of
the nightingale ard the robin. Among the
first things that child notices is swal-
low at the caves, and grandfather goes out
with handful of crumbs to feed the snow
birds. The Bible is full of pathological
illusions
The birds cf the B bic are not dead and
stuffed. like those OF the museum. but lv-
ing birds. with fiutter.nS wings AMI plum
age. Behold the fowls of the air.
says Christ. Though thou exalt myself
as the eagle, az d though thou set thy nest
among the stars, thence viii l bring thee
down. exclaims Obaiiah. "Gavest thou
the goodly wings to the paacock!' says
Job. David describes his desolation by
saying: Il am like pelican of the wilder
n.ss; ! am like an owl of the desert; l
watch. and am as a sparrow on the house
top" Yea, the stork in the heaven
knoweth her appointed time: and the
turtle and the crane and the swallow
observe the time Of their coming: but
nv people know not tie judgment of the
Lord.'' says jeremiah. And in the text
Isaiah looks ahead and sees the gathering
OF many people unto Christ and the Church.
and it makes him think OF flock Of pigeons
alighting on their coop. and all at once try
ing to get in at the window of the coop. and
be cries ont: "Who are those that fiy as
& cloud and as the doves to their VIM
jows,"
This is one of the memorable days Of the
Brooslvn Tabernacle. On ether SUNDAYS
We drop the net; to-day we haul it in GA
other days we send out the invitations for
a Kings party: to-day we SIT at the
banquet> On other days we fight the bat
tie; now we claim victory through our
Lord Jesus Christ. Ye who have toiled
and contributed and prayed for the success
Of this institution take unto your souls the
grand satisfaction of this hour. To vcu. o,
ueu and women. is fulfilled the promise:
- Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy
Wake up, O, Church of God. and bring
gariands ard music and let Us celebrate our
harvest h0me.''
Oh, this mercy of Godl l an told il is "a
ocean. Then l place on it four swift-sail-
ing crafts, with compass and charts and
choice rigging and skIilful navigators. and
tel them TO launch away AMI discover for
nle the extent OF his ocean, That craft
puts oct ia one direction. ami sails TO the
north: this u the east; this to the south;
this TO the west. They crowd on all their
canvas aid sail ten thousand years, and one
CAV came up the harbor of Heaven. and a
shout TO them from the beach: Have YOU
found the shore!'' And they answer: No
shore to Gods mercyr Swift angels. dis
patched from the throne. attempt 10 go
across il; for one million years they fly and
fly. but then come back and fold their
wings at the foot OF the the throne. and
cry: No shore no shore to Gods mercy
Mercy. MercyI l sing It: preach it; I
pray it Here l find a man bound hand
and foot 70 the devil. but with one stroke
OF the hammer Of Gods truth the chains
fall OF and he is free forever Mercy!
Mercy. Mercyl There IS no depth it can
not fathom; there is no height it can not
scale; there is no ininity it can not COM
pass
When persons apply for membership in
to any society, the question is asked:
~ no are they, and where DO they come
fron!7 and as this multitude of people pre-
sent themselves to-day for membership it
IS right that We should ask: Who are
these that come as doves to their win
Cows!" They are captives, whose chains
have been broken; they are soldiers, who
have enlisted for thirty years war; they
are heirs of Heaven.
They come as doves to the windows
FIRST, because they fly low. The eagle darts
up, as if to strike its beak into the sun
There are birds that seem to dwell under
the caves of heaven: you see them as lit
tie specks against the sky, so far of that
you can not guess the style of their p.ur7ase
or the shape OF their bodies; they float so
far away that if the hunters gun be dis
charged at them theS- do not change their
course Not SO with the doves or pigeons,
they never take any high excursions. They
fly around your roof and alght on the
lie
So these souls who come to Christ and to
His church to-day fly low. They ask no
great things. they seek an humble place at
the feet of Christ; they are not ashamed
10 be called beggars for mercy; they are
willing TO get down on their knees. and TO
crawl und1r the table, and to pick up the
crumbs Of the Gospel provision There
were days when they were proud and
punctlious and memorable and pulled up:
but not now. The highest throne OF earth
could not tempt Mary away from Jesus
feet Stoop, o partoned soul. # thou
wouldst enter Heaven a high lock and
proud heart God hates. Fly low 1t IS a
mercy that thou canst fy at all Renen-
Der sIl the years OF thy s:n; thy DAYS Of
youthful wandering; thy Gays Of manhood
transgessions; thy sins-dark, brooding.
dreadful sins-against thy soul, against
thy Bible against thy God
In one Of the benevolent institutions of
Europe where the destitute are provided
for the new corners have their photographs
taken while IN rags before they are washed,
so that they may always have IN the pct
ure q reminder Of the degradation from
which they were lifted; so in his book God
keeps before thee picture Of thy former
6estitution and raggedness Of soul F7vlo-.
K is an offended God before whom thou com
est Thou deServest Els wrath BE scat
tered the one hundred and eightE-fve